Princess Cruises has marked the launch of its latest cruise program by releasing an amazing video capturing a ship’s-eye view of one of its cruises around New Zealand. The time-lapse video follows Princess’ elegant Golden Princess on a 13-night voyage around New Zealand as it cruises the tranquil waters of the country’s stunning Fiordland and visits six different ports from Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne and Wellington on the north island to Akaroa and Dunedin in the south.

Princess, which offers more cruises to New Zealand than any other cruise line, said it had commissioned the video in order to portray the beauty of cruising the New Zealand coastline.

“Cruising really is the best way to see a country like New Zealand and this year alone we will sail on more than 22 cruises across the Tasman. Our guests love the experience, so we decided to share it with others,” Princess Cruises Vice President Australia & New Zealand Stuart Allison said.

Mr Allison said the cruise line has offered a range of different New Zealand cruises since it based its first ship in Australia full time in 2007. Its latest 2017-18 program, launched this week, features the first ever roundtrip cruise to New Zealand from South Australia, meaning Australians can now cruise from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide to New Zealand with Princess.

The video was produced by Timeflees.com cofounder Filippo Rivetti, who set up five cameras onboard Golden Princess to capture the vision including one with a 360-degree lens.

“I always had at least two cameras going at any moment, and up to four at the same time for the most important moments like in Fiordland National Park,” Filippo said.

The cruise was Filippo’s first but he says it won’t be his last. “I love the sea and it’s just fantastic to see New Zealand’s coastline from a cruise ship: you wake up every day at sunrise arriving at a new port and new experiences await. And you can’t beat cruising through a majestic fiord like Milford Sound – that experience will always remain with me.”

Filippo said he loved all the ports of call but would nominate Dunedin as his favourite.

“It’s a fantastic town with a historic train station, some beautiful churches, a small castle and amazing views that just have New Zealand written all over them.”
The 108,000 tonne Golden Princess carries 2600 guests and offers a range of features including more than a dozen different dining options, four swimming pools, a large spa, a child-free Sanctuary retreat and a Movies Under the Stars poolside screen.

Stretching 290 metres long, the ship also boasts the spectacular Skywalkers Nightclub suspended at the rear of the ship and reached by a moving walkway above the decks, providing a ready frame for some of Filippo’s vision.